Hanna stared at it, recognizing it immediately. She lifted the lid and found the very same Cartier locket she’d discovered the day her father, Isabel, and Kate had moved in. She never thought she’d hold it again. “Is this . . . for me?”
“Of course it’s for you. It was your grandmother’s.”
“I know,” Hanna murmured, lifting the necklace out of the box. It glittered in the overhead light. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “I’ve always wanted this.”
“I know,” Mr. Marin said, hiding a smile. “Your grandma would’ve wanted you to have it. I want you to have it, too.”
Hanna stood and gave her father a huge hug. “Thank you.” She wanted to add, for not giving it to Kate or Isabel, but she was afraid it might ruin the moment. All of a sudden, everything felt a little bit better again. Maybe her dad hadn’t forgotten her, after all. Maybe he still remembered, in some small way, that she was here, that she still mattered.
She turned around so that her father could clip it around her neck. The locket hung perfectly at her throat, and Hanna couldn’t resist running her finger over its smooth oval shape. Mr. Marin finished his coffee, then pulled a bottle of water from his briefcase and took a long swig. “Well, I suppose I should get moving.”
“Wait a sec.” Hanna stared at the bottle in his hand. The label said AMINOSPA. “Where did you get that?”
Mr. Marin screwed the cap back on the bottle. “Some guy was selling it at the office. He said these drinks have a ton of vitamins in them and that I’d feel better once I start drinking a couple bottles a day. But I don’t feel any different, to be honest with you. And it kind of tastes like rotten lime juice.”
Hanna smiled sadly. “I think that stuff is a scam.”
“Probably.” Mr. Marin shrugged. “I think the whole point of selling this stuff is to recruit other people to sell it, too. The guy gave me this really long pitch about how I could be a part-time AminoSpa associate—I’d make tons of money and never have to change out of my pajamas.” He chuckled good-naturedly. “The people who get recruited to sell this stuff are like cult members—they’re totally brainwashed. And once they suck you in, there’s no way to get out.”
He placed the AminoSpa bottle on the counter and gave Hanna a kiss on top of her head. His slippers made soft slaps on the floor as he padded out of the room. Hanna sat motionless for a few moments, staring at the AminoSpa bottle on the counter. It was crazy to think she’d fallen for a guy who’d gotten caught up in a pyramid scheme. Dinah could totally have him.
Suddenly, an idea came to her. She stood, raced over to the bottle, and looked at the company information on the back. To join our team, call now! it said beneath a 1-800 number and a website.
Heart thumping, Hanna lifted her home phone off the receiver and dialed the number. “AminoSpa Industries!” a chipper voice answered almost immediately. “Are you interested in joining our team?”
“Uh, yes,” Hanna said in her most professional voice. “My boyfriend sells AminoSpa, and I’d love to be part of it, too.”
“That’s wonderful!” the operator chirped. “What’s your name?”
“Dinah Morrissey,” Hanna said, grinning at her reflection in the window. She spelled it out, then gave the operator Dinah’s address, which was on the boot camp call sheet Vince had given them the first day. “Please send me a hundred cases.”
“One hundred?” The operator’s voice rose. “Oh, honey, that’s a lot for someone who’s just starting out.”
“I can handle it,” Hanna urged, running her fingers over her new necklace.
“You realize there are no returns, right? You’re responsible for every last bottle. And we’ll bill you for those cases at the beginning of next month.”
“I understand,” Hanna said. “Like I said, I’m very eager to join the team!”
After giving the operator a few more details, Hanna hung up and grinned. Then she grabbed the half-drunk AminoSpa bottle her father had left behind, screwed the cap on tight, and dropped it in the recycling bin. Opening her phone, she composed a new text to Dinah. I forgive you! I’m sure you guys will be very happy together in EVERY endeavor! If Dinah wanted Vince, she could have him—but she had to take him, goofy pyramid scheme and all.
Her phone chirped less than a minute later, and at first she thought it was Dinah sending a reply. But to her surprise, Lucas’s number flashed on the screen.
Got home early. Can you come over before school?
Chapter 16
Sunglasses Tans Are So In
After changing into her Rosewood Day uniform and gathering her books for school, Hanna pulled up to the curb at Lucas’s house. His family’s Ford Explorer was back in the driveway, the hatchback still open. The Mercedes SUV Hanna had seen the night the Rumsons had stopped over was here as well—meaning Brooke was here, too. Hanna wondered if Lucas had just invited her over to break up with her in person. Not that she would let him beat her to the punch. She would break up with him first.
Well, let’s get it over with, she thought, grateful at least that she looked gorgeous after boot camp. Sighing dolefully, she slammed the door to the Prius and started up the front walk. As she was about to ring the bell, she caught sight of a faint flicker in the thick line of bushes that surrounded the Beattie property. It almost looked like someone was hiding there, but that was crazy. Who could be skulking around at 8 A.M. in fifteen-degree weather? When would Hanna stop thinking someone was following her?